High Hemoglobin, RBC, Hematocrit?

[zaggahamma]

Mine were slightly out of range high. How much concern are these values to good health? Options to improve other than discontinuing TRT and any hands on experiences with such?

Thanks

[Teabagger]

It has to do with blood thickening and clotting...potentially fatal if a clot forms, and breaks loose. Go give blood...thats what I do. Brings everything down, temporarily and helps out others...its a win win situation.

[zaggahamma]

thanks tea...so it's only temp? what causes it, exo test? how far out of range does your's get and how often with giving blood?
any body else get this type of viscosity?

[Teabagger]

Yes its the exo test. It is permanent as long as you supplement test. Mine only gets on the higher end of the ranges but I'm cautious. I give blood when the blood bank calls me. Believe me, they won't let you forget when you can give blood again. I think its like every 12 weeks. They call, I say cool, and off I go. Keep an eye on it and keep it in the ranges. Good luck bro, stay healthy.

[balin]

The blood bank I use(Red Cross) says it must be over 2 months since your last donation.

[zaggahamma]

Yes its the exo test. It is permanent as long as you supplement test. Mine only gets on the higher end of the ranges but I'm cautious. I give blood when the blood bank calls me. Believe me, they won't let you forget when you can give blood again. I think its like every 12 weeks. They call, I say cool, and off I go. Keep an eye on it and keep it in the ranges. Good luck bro, stay healthy.

thanks again T....so when you keep givin like that....how much does that drop your levels?

[Teabagger]

I can't recall exactly, but back down to mid normal range.

[zaggahamma]

I can't recall exactly, but back down to mid normal range.

well that still helps and sounds like a world of good from doing good...thanks man

[zaggahamma]

bump for others?

[zaggahamma]

bump for others?(sorry computer prob)

[zaggahamma]

bump for others?(sorry computer prob)

[Spyke]

How much test are you on?

[Spyke]

I just remembered, I have an uncle who is 70 and has had heart problems. He has certin foods that he eats that keep his blood running thinner.

What about an asprin every day? I think that thins blood.

[Mobligator]

I just remembered, I have an uncle who is 70 and has had heart problems. He has certin foods that he eats that keep his blood running thinner.

What about an asprin every day? I think that thins blood.

You're right Spyke, an aspirin a daywill keep your blood thinner and most MD's will recommned this for anyone who has heart problems. As for raising the red blood cells and hemocrits the test will definitely do that but mine never went more than a tenth or two over the high limit. However I only took on the average of 100 mg per week, which kept my test level around 500-600. I suppose if you jack it up to 200 mg a week it might raise the rcb & crits more but I'm not sure.

[Mobligator]

I just remembered, I have an uncle who is 70 and has had heart problems. He has certin foods that he eats that keep his blood running thinner.

What about an asprin every day? I think that thins blood.

You're right Spyke, an aspirin a daywill keep your blood thinner and most MD's will recommned this for anyone who has heart problems. As for raising the red blood cells and hemocrits the test will definitely do that but mine never went more than a tenth or two over the high limit. However I only took on the average of 100 mg per week, which kept my test level around 500-600. I suppose if you jack it up to 200 mg a week it might raise the rcb & crits more but I'm not sure.
BTW I use enteric coated aspirin, much better on your stomach.

[Kale]

Just give some blood dude, and think of all the jacked Grannies running around a few days after !!!!

[Mobligator]

Just give some blood dude, and think of all the jacked Grannies running around a few days after !!!!

Curious? Wonder if they check that blood for things like testosterone . It could perhaps be potentially harmful to a pregnant woman, the fetus in particular I would think. I do know they check for things like hepatitis, HIV... I can't give blood because at one time in my life, unbeknown to me, I had hepatitis. i.e my blood now has antibodies for hepatitis but I was never sick from it.

[zaggahamma]

Just give some blood dude, and think of all the jacked Grannies running around a few days after !!!!

I wondered the same thing....if my samples would have enough testosterone to effect the recip and if they checked for such....according to TB....they must not or don't care

[zaggahamma]

How much test are you on?

On the day the blood was taken, I had taken a shot that morning of 200mg. And I did ask the doc if aspirin would lower these figures and he said that this was different type of viscosity or something but whatever it was I asked about aspirin like you're asking and he said no....my levels were:
RBC 5.8 (4.0-5.65)
HEMOGLOBIN 17.5 (12.6-16.7)
HEMATOCRIT 52.4 (36.9-48.5)

[Spyke]

Have you been on 200mg every week before this or have you been playing with higher dosing? Since you are so close to normal maybe you could drop down to 150mg and do the tests in a couple months? Would still be better then going off hrt totally.

I had all my bloodwork redone not long ago. My rbc had not really changed but I did have some BP issues which are now under control. I guess this shows that test effects us all differently and why it is important to monitor things very closly at first.

[zaggahamma]

Have you been on 200mg every week before this or have you been playing with higher dosing? Since you are so close to normal maybe you could drop down to 150mg and do the tests in a couple months? Would still be better then going off hrt totally.

I had all my bloodwork redone not long ago. My rbc had not really changed but I did have some BP issues which are now under control. I guess this shows that test effects us all differently and why it is important to monitor things very closly at first.

Excellent point....yes, i rememb you having BP issues and although my RBC, etc. levels are/were high....my BP is usually pretty good.
I had just started doing injects for only like a month from only about 3 months of androgel prior...so I'm just starting TRT still, really...trying to find the right doses/levels for myself.
You might recall in some of my prev posts that I got a little carried away with dose by starting at 200mg (week 1) 300mg (week2)
400mg (week3 /4)...trying to get more anabolic , then found that my estro was going up and it was time to get tested anyway so i was off for about 14 days before taking just 200mg the day that my RBC, etc. levels were high. And before that, these levels seem to have always been towards the higher end of normal anyway. I never looked at these levels until now. So even before TRT, I was toward high normal.

[Ufa]

edit

[zaggahamma]

If you took 200 mg the day of your RBC you have a skewed result. There
is an instant spyke. Your test was way over 1,000. Why don't you take
your bood work and week after your last shot. You are getting the wrong
results.

I get blood work done so much they yell "norm" when i walk into lab corp...i mean "arnold"
either way...with it being high when not on test...i'm gonna keep my optics open

[Spyke]

Here is what I would do. Go on a normal weekly HRT dose, like 150mg or a bit higher for like 8 weeks straight. Then go in on a non injection day and have them redo the CBC and free/total test. See where you are at.

According to my doc it takes about 8 weeks for the body to adjust to the new levels. You have been messing with the levels so much that you never adjusted to anything and your body doesn't know weather to shit or go blind. Get the plain old boring HRT program worked out right now. There is plenty of time down the road to "Pimp your Hrt" to get some anabolic effect.

[zaggahamma]

well, i have decided to keep it at 200mg EW, BUT..I've thrown deca into the mix at 150mg

[Spyke]

Are you actually using a doc or just putting stuff together yourself? IMO, you need to get your test dosing set before throwing anything else in. Like I said it will take a couple months of just test to see where your levels get to. When your dosing is set, then work in some HCG to keep the nuts plump.

From what I have read and what my doc said, deca is not really part of a true hrt program for hypogonadal men. If you want to do it for the anabolic effect, cool, but wait till the test is worked out....Just my 2 cents

[zaggahamma]

local family doc/endo/uro and south florida clinic doc and myself the "doc"...the one i trust the most...oh, i forgot mobligator
Yep, the regular docs/insurance was ok paying all bloodwork...i must have had a dozen since Jan. but insurance changed yesterday and specialist copays are going to be 45 bucks and deductibles and shiat....gonna be easier to stick with clinic unless my new family doc is cooool....he said he would take over my TRT, but my specialists were real conservative....so maybe i'll be able to at least keep one script of injects going...we'll see
thanks again for advice

[Mobligator]

local family doc/endo/uro and south florida clinic doc and myself the "doc"...the one i trust the most...oh, i forgot mobligator
Yep, the regular docs/insurance was ok paying all bloodwork...i must have had a dozen since Jan. but insurance changed yesterday and specialist copays are going to be 45 bucks and deductibles and shiat....gonna be easier to stick with clinic unless my new family doc is cooool....he said he would take over my TRT, but my specialists were real conservative....so maybe i'll be able to at least keep one script of injects going...we'll see
thanks again for advice

Keep in mind what the RBC actually means. It's a measure usually expressed in percentage or a number of cells within a certain volume. The bone marrow makes red blood cells and for some reason (which I haven't looked into, yet) testosterone will cause your body to make more red blood cells. So will living in high altitudes. (because your rbc carry oxygen). It's not really the viscosity that is measured but the number of cells, i.e. how many million cells in a microliter (mcL. Sweating or dehydration can lower your total volume of blood and thereby increase this number of rbc per mcl. Analogy: (Think of a number of teasoons of salt in an 8 ounce glass compared to the same amount of salt in a 16 oz glass. In the 8 oz glass you will have more salt per oz).

Make sure you are well hydrated before taking a CBC. Drink plenty of water the days before and on the day on your blood test. Some quacks will tell people not to eat or drink anything before a blood test but I've had some very good MDs tell me to drink water or even black coffee if I want to, (just no sweetner or cream/milk in the coffee). Water will keep you hydrated, (coffee w/caffine not so good.)

[zaggahamma]

on the day of the most recent(the one that was out of range) was the day of my biopsy and i had fasted(no food, no water, nada) from 11:00 the night before until like 6:00 the next day...i was a hungry sob...from 6:00 thru the rest of the evening I estimate I consumed 4,000 calories...actually better than and estimate since i keep track of everything i eat....that's why i never go longer than a few hours without eating..but they took my blood around 2:30 just b4 the surgery on that fast and i was always wondering if that might have been the reason it was out of range, but it always seems to be high normal on the last 5 or so tests...
gator, what do you think about giving blood to get it down....i never have before....the doc said to do less test and drink lots of water was his only advice.